News Archive : poetry

Courtney Snodgrass ’17, is wasting no time in achieving her dreams of becoming an established writer and activist.
Using her two areas of study in tandem, the junior English and psychology major has published two poetry collections, writes commissioned pieces, is spending part of the year editing Mount Mercy’s Paha Review and is in the daunting process of starting a nonprofit to benefit area veterans.

As a poet, I’m always on the lookout for anything that might contain the seed of a poem. Often I find ideas sprouting right in my own backyard, but this past summer, funded by a summer scholarship grant, I followed a potential poetic trail to the Angola State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana. My goal was to research a particular moment in Angola’s history: In 1951, 37 inmates slashed their Achilles tendons. Prison officials called it a power ploy, while other sources viewed it as an attempt to make public Angola’s brutal conditions.

Carol Tyx, associate professor of English, has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize for her book of poetry, Rising to the Rim.
Published by Brick Road Poetry Press in 2013, Rising to the Rim is the second collection of poems for Tyx, a Mount Mercy faculty for twelve years.
Enjoy a reading from the work on the University’s YouTube channel.

Courtney Snodgrass is a student who juggles many talents. As a member of Mount Mercy University’s women’s bowling team, she’s a valued member of the team and traveling squad. Now, the freshman English major is also a published poet.
Snodgrass has released Partially Whole, a collection of poems that covers life’s experiences, from the pain of a broken heart to the excitement of love. The book, a 62-page collection, was released on Dec. 30 and is available on Amazon.
Congratulations to Courtney for sharing her talents, both on the lanes and on the page.

Professor Emeritus Jim McKean will return to Mount Mercy for a special question and answer session and reading of his creative nonfiction work of essays and poetry on Thursday, November 8. The Q&A will begin at 3:30 p.m. and the reading will take place at 7:00 p.m. Both events will be held in Basile Hall's Flaherty Community Room and are free and open to the public; seating may be limited.